


Puppy Love

by BartonStark (BloodEnvy)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, steve rogers and a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodEnvy/pseuds/BartonStark
Summary: Based on THAT Chris Evans instagram post and set right befor the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.Three days after adopting your new puppy, you're called into work last minute. Unable to leave the pup alone, and without any other options, you ask your neighbor across the hall to watch after him for the day.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Original Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 88





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first actual fic - not just a drabble - that I've written for Steve, so any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated :) Hope you like it! and a new chapter of 'To Ashes' should be up soonish.

“I don’t know, Mom.” you sighed, your phone tucked into the crook of your neck as you rooted through your purse for your keys. Slightly out of breath from your trek up four flights of stairs, you were juggling a couple of bags of Chinese takeout and a bottle of wine in your other hand, and you bit your lip to stop yourself from cursing when you almost dropped the bottle. “Christmas is ages away, and work has been crazy, okay?”

“Three weeks,” your mother reminded you pointedly through the phone. “Christmas is in three weeks and you haven’t been home since your father’s surgery. How do you think that makes him feel?”

“It was a colonoscopy, Mom.” you corrected her with a roll of your eyes. The fact that she’d had you believe that your father was suffering through some kind of medical emergency, so you’d fly all the way to Wyoming just to drive him to the doctor’s. Apparently, the tickets she’d had for some wine tasting event had been just to hard to get for her to do it herself. “And I talked to Dad last week.”

“After everything your father has done for you, Y/N, the least you can do is—”

“Fine.” you interrupted impatiently as you finally found your keys and unlocked your front door. “I’ll talk to the manager tomorrow. Hopefully some of the younger staff need the money too much to take a vacation.”

You tossed your keys in the bowl by the door as you closed it behind you, toeing off your shoes. You could hear soft music playing from your kitchen, and you felt your cheeks warm.

“Good. Will you be bringing a date?”

“I—Mom, do we really need to talk about this now?”

“I need to know, Y/N.” she insisted. You shrugged off your coat and hung both it and your bag up on the hook by the door. “How am I supposed to know how many sides I need to make if I don’t know how many people I’m cooking for?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” you told her as you entered the cramped kitchen of your apartment. A grin broke over your face and you couldn’t help the fluttering feeling in your chest as you took in the scene in front of you. Your neighbor, Steve Rogers, was standing in your kitchen, dressed in dark wash jeans and a white cable knit sweater, and in his arms was a small, chocolate-colored Labrador puppy. He murmured something against the top of the puppy’s head – it seemed to be half asleep in his arms – pressing a kiss to its fur before he looked up at you. A small, soft smile curved his lips as he turned his head to meet your gaze, and he faked a gentle gasp for the puppy’s benefit.

“Y/N, I need to know!” your mother repeated irritably. “Have you met a man or not?”

“As a matter of fact, I have.” you said blithely, setting the takeout and the wine bottle on the kitchen counter as you closed the distance between the two of you. “I’ll talk to you later, Mom.”

You hung up without waiting for a response, knowing you were going to hear about that decision next time she called. You tucked your phone into your back pocket, reaching up and rubbing your fingers through the fur between the puppy’s ears. He yawned, tongue curling, as he stirred reluctantly in Steve’s muscular arms. “There’s my man. Hey, Milo.”

Your voice seemed to finally bring the little dog out of its stupor, and he wriggled eagerly in Steve’s arms in an effort to get to you. Steve chuckled as he surrendered, depositing him in your arms. You grinned, ducking awkwardly away from Milo’s excitable kisses with a laugh before smiling at Steve.

“Hi.”

He grinned back. “Hi. How was work?”

“Not nearly as exciting as you day job.” you replied with a sigh, finally calming Milo down enough to hold him to your chest. “Thank you so much for taking him today. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t answered the door.”

You’d been called at five thirty that morning and told that if you didn’t come in and cover a twelve hour shift you were going to lose your job. You hadn’t bothered to argue that you were unavailable; short of natural disaster or hospitalization, the boss wasn’t going to accept anything you said as a reasonable excuse. You’d barely had Milo for a week, and there was no way you could leave a nine-week-old Labrador unattended in your apartment. Especially one that was still struggling with toilet training and understanding that coffee table legs weren’t for chewing on. So, without any other options, you’d knocked on your neighbor’s door at ten to six a.m.

Steve had answered, wide awake and dressed for a workout. He’d been mildly surprised to see you standing on his doorstep, flustered and still pulling on your coat. The two of you had barely more than a passing acquaintanceship – you’d greet each other in the hall, and you’d once dropped off a Tupperware container full of cookies when you’d gotten carried away baking on a particularly boring, rainy afternoon. He’d been about as surprised then as he had been that morning, but you’d still found the container empty and washed on your doorstep two days later with a sticky note reading ‘thanks’ on the lid.

He’d amazingly more than happy to take Milo for the day, and you’d found your mind repeatedly wandering back to the fact that Captain America was spending the day in your apartment. He grinned, ruffling Milo’s ears affectionately, and the puppy leaned into the touch eagerly, batting at his hand with an oversized paw. “Happy to do it. It was a nice change of pace.”

You set Milo on the floor, smiling indulgently as you watched him immediately lose his footing as he tried to pick a fight with Steve’s shoes. You had to bend down again to rescue the shoelace he was tugging on. “Have you eaten yet?” When he shook his head, you gestured to the bags on the counter. “Good. Because I brought Chinese food.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did.” you told him simply, shrugging a shoulder. “And I had a feeling you don’t get treated to dinner much.”

He chuckled; one hand tucked in the pocket of his jeans. “Well, you’d be right there.”

“Then its settled,” you replied with a smile. You motioned towards the couch, and he took the bags and the bottle of wine with him. You retrieved cutlery, bowls and wine glasses before following after him, Milo on your heels. You sat down beside him, unpacking the food. “And thank God you said yes, because there is no way I could eat all this by myself.”

***

“It’s taken some adjusting.” Steve told you, setting his bowl on the coffee table. The two of you were squeezed together on your little two-seater couch; you were turned to face him, leaning against the arm of the chair and one leg tucked under you. You nursed your drink, swirling the wine lightly in the glass as you watched him settle back against the cushions. Milo jumped up to sniff at his knee, and Steve scooped him up one handed and pulled him into his lap. He scratched at the puppy’s little potbelly as he continued. “Whole world has changed since I went into the ice.”

“I can’t imagine it,” you replied softly, smiling as you watched the two of them. Milo mouthed at Steve’s fingers, whining playfully.

“You know the thing that’s confused me the most?” he said, looking up at you from under his brows, one side of his lips curving upwards. Suddenly you couldn’t tell if the warmth in your chest was from your third glass of wine or from the man sitting in front of you. His posture shifted to mirror yours, and you moved to rest your knee on top of his is as the position squeezed your legs together. Milo stood only to flop himself into your lap, finally tuckered out, and you began stroking your fingers through the fur of his neck.

“What’s that?”

“How exactly do you get milk out of an almond?”

You laughed, leaning your head against the back of the couch. His smile widened, and there was a boyish edge to it, like he was proud he’d made you laugh. It made it easier to believe he was once just a guy from Brooklyn, rather than some larger than life superhero. You shook your head, resting your elbow on the back of the couch and propping your temple up against your hand. “I have no idea.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s not just me.”

Milo yawned obnoxiously in your lap, tucking his head in against your thigh. “You must have really tuckered him out today. He’s never tired this early.”

“Yeah, we had fun.” Steve said affectionately, his expression soft. “I’ve been thinking about getting a dog myself, it’s just… this new assignment with SHIELD, and the Avengers…”

He sighed, shaking his head, and you set your wine glass on the coffee table. “You can borrow Milo any time you like,” you offered lightly. “Seriously, you’d be doing me a favor. Once he’s grown, you could take him on your runs; burn off some of that energy on the days I work.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good.” you grinned back at him and brushed hair behind your ear, and you blinked when you thought you noticed his eyes follow the movement. “Of course, you might need to wake me up on my days off; I’m not much of an early riser if I can help it.”

“I wouldn’t want to put you out—”

“If I’m going to be woken up by someone, I don’t think I’d complain that it’s you.” you replied, your cheeks warming as you realized the double meaning in your words. You stood up, jostling Milo, and began collecting dishes, the cutlery clattering against the porcelain. You carried them to the kitchen sink, chattering nervously as you went. “Y’know, you should take those leftovers home with you; I’m not going to be able to eat it all, and those noodles are really good, I—”

You jumped as Steve came up behind you, catching a wine glass just as you dropped it. He set it on the countertop gently, and you closed your eyes for a moment before turning around. He was standing closer than you thought, his body only a few inches from yours, trapping you against the edge of the counter. You wet your lips nervously, and Steve smiled gently.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” he said softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek. The touch was gentle, lingering for a moment before he drew back again. You could feel that spot of your cheek, warm and tingling. “Thank you. For dinner.”


End file.
